Universal Ads was built on the idea that TV advertising needs to be as easy and accessible as search and social. A big part of that is meeting advertisers and developers where they already work; increasingly, that means AI tools.
As the industry turns to AI-powered workflows, teams are integrating tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini* into their day-to-day. We've been thinking hard about what it means for Universal Ads to show up natively in those environments, and today we're sharing an early look at where we're headed.
Built API-first from the start
Everything we're building in the AI space starts with our existing foundation: The Universal Ads Marketing API. From day one, Universal Ads was built API-first, meaning every core capability – from campaign management to reporting to audience targeting – is accessible programmatically. This was an intentional platform design before we even wrote our first line of code.
Partners like Koddi, SearchKings, Northbeam, and Spaceback have already built on top of the Marketing API to power their own TV advertising solutions. That same infrastructure is what makes extending Universal Ads into new surfaces, like the AI tools developers use every day, possible.
Introducing our first step: A local MCP for Universal Ads
Today, we're releasing a local MCP (Model Context Protocol, an open standard for connecting AI tools to external data sources) connector as an extension of our existing developer toolkit. This provides a standardized way to connect Universal Ads to the AI tools you're already using.
This first release is built specifically for technically-minded partners and developers who want to start experimenting with how Universal Ads data surfaces inside their AI workflows. With this initial release you’ll be able to pull Universal Ads campaign data directly into your AI environments of choice. That includes:
We’re also testing AI connectors that would enable creating, launching, and optimizing campaigns. But we want to first get this version into your hands, so we can learn how you're using it and build from there. If you’re interested in getting early access to future releases, please reach out.
Why we're starting here
We're investing in making Universal Ads a native part of the AI tools you use every day. This MCP is our first step toward that vision. A sneak peek at what becomes possible when you can talk to your TV campaigns the same way you'd ask an AI tool anything else.
If you’re interested in speaking with someone from our team about ways you can begin using the MCP, visit us here. If you’re ready to start building on your own, visit GitHub here for setup instructions and let us know what you build.
*ChatGPT is a trademark of OpenAI, Inc. Claude is a trademark of Anthropic, PBC. Gemini is a trademark of Google LLC. Use of these names is for informational purposes only and does not imply endorsement or affiliation.
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